Online Reporter
Patrick Chitumba
A KWEKWE man allegedly battling drug addiction gave scavengers the fright of their lives when he unexpectedly “came back from the dead” after being dumped at a rubbish site.
The man, believed to be in his early 30s, allegedly climbed into a council skip bin at the Kwekwe long-distance bus terminus on Tuesday night and fell asleep while heavily intoxicated.
Unfortunately for him, the rubbish collection truck arrived the following morning.
The bin was emptied.
And off he went, rubbish and all.
Council workers had no idea there was a sleeping passenger among the garbage when they collected the bin at about 6.30am and transported its contents to the city dump.
The shocking discovery was made later when scavengers spotted what appeared to be human legs sticking out from underneath the rubbish.
Panic spread like wildfire!
Scavengers who were searching for scrap metal and other recyclable material fled, fearing they had stumbled upon a murder victim. Kwekwe Mayor, Councillor Albert Zinhanga, confirmed the bizarre incident.
“The man was found buried in a heap of rubbish at the dump site. The people who collect discarded objects such as wood and scrap metal saw human legs protruding from the dump and assumed it was a corpse,” he said.
One scavenger, Mr Tariro Moyo (46), said the scene was terrifying.
“I make a living from collecting recyclables at the dump site. We were looking for plastic and metal when I saw legs sticking out from under a sack,” he said.
“The trousers were dirty and his feet were not moving. We all thought it was a dead person killed for ritual purposes and dumped, and we fled from the scene.”
However, when police arrived, the “corpse” apparently had other plans.
“When we pulled back the rubbish, we heard a faint snore. He was buried under plastic, cardboard and food waste. He was breathing, but he was very weak and disoriented after spending the whole night in the bin,” said a police officer who attended the scene.
The man had cuts and bruises on his arms and was taken to Kwekwe District Hospital before being transferred to Amaveni Rehabilitation Centre.
Cllr Zinhanga said the incident was a painful reminder of the impact of drug abuse.
“This is what drugs are doing to our children. A young man climbs into a bin to sleep and ends up being dumped as rubbish,” he said.
Dr Stella Khumalo of Queen of Peace Rehabilitation and Crisis Centre said addiction could expose users to injuries, malnutrition, mental health problems and dangerous living conditions.
“We cannot arrest our way out of this problem. We must rehabilitate, we must give young people skills and hope, so that they do not see a skip bin as a bedroom,” she said.
The incident comes as Midlands authorities intensify efforts against drug abuse.
More than 100 suspected drug bases have reportedly been dismantled and over 380 suspects arrested in the province.
Midlands Minister of State Owen Ncube said Kwekwe and Shurugwi had emerged as drug abuse hotspots, with the problem spreading into mining and rural communities.
